In Ike's aftermath

Ike came and we....ll sort of went! I'm sure you've seen the news with pictures of the horrible devastation left behind in Galveston and Houston. Tonight there were tornado watches out in states further north. This hurricane was massive. I've never seen a storm that big in size. Even though it was a Category 2 storm, it packed a punch because of it's size. It is supposed to dump rain in Chicago on Sunday where they are already water logged. The newscasters said it would reach as far north & east as New England!

I talked to my brother in Houston Friday night. He & my sister-in-law hadn't had rain yet at 11, but it was windy & trees were bending over. My dad reached him at 8 Saturday morning. His house wasn't damaged that he knew of. His biggest concern was for his church members. He is a pastor of a small church in Splendora, Texas. No, I don't know exactly where it is, but I know it's near Houston. He said much of the congregation were elderly and/or lived in mobile homes. They had to get out of those, so he spent a lot of Friday calling & getting them to shelters. As of last night, he said he was planning to drive out there Sunday morning & just take his guitar (he knew power would be out) and see what people need.

Now, the irony of this storm. Originally, we were told this would hit Corpus Christi. So, people in Corpus boarded up windows & headed out. Then, when it changed direction, some of those folks went back & the Galveston coast had to evacuate with less time left to do it. We were told that either way we'd get lots of rain. Activities were canceled all over town. Guess what we woke up to today? Beautiful clear skies. At one point it sprinkled for about 30 seconds. I walked out & saw a few drops on one part of my car. It is incredibly humid & we tired our record high of 100 today! Phew! I can intellectually see the maps & understand how we didn't get rain, but I really can't COMPREHEND how we could be dry and New England could get rain from this. Very strange if you ask me!

We're praying for those who have been left without homes, power, and in some cases loved ones. Governor Perry today said this will be the biggest search & rescue mission Texas has ever seen. President Bush has declared 29 counties a major disaster and is sending federal help.

As I was dropping the girls off at some friends' house to play, the mom walked me out and noticed her a/c unit is dripping. I told her my car a/c is also clogging up. Then I said, "I guess I will be thankful that I have a car and a home." She said, "And that we have air conditioning and electricity." Funny how a tragedy can turn a complaint into a gift.